jWWWData
Vers. 0.1-aa / July 1997
Copyright (C) 1997 SW Wings
DESCRIPTION
jWWWData is JDBC Data Base Client specifically designed to be accessed
and used on the World Wide Web. jWWWData targets all the application
domains in which it is required to make data available to a large forum
of users, across the Web. With jWWWData the end users interact with the
data base, enter their queries (without having to know "SQL") and obtain
their results directly at their location. The jWWWData Man Machine
Interface gives the end users the feeling they are interacting with a
local application and not with a remote data base system. The same
level of usability is offered to the people who want to publish their
data. They only need to specify in a simple data definition language the
data they want to publish and which end users (on the Web) are allowed
to access and manipulate these data. jWWWData uses this specification to
automatically create the data base, the required HTML form, the JDBC
based CGI application as well as a set of tools to initially populate
and maintain the data base. In other words people who want to publish
their data on the Web do not need to know how to write HTML pages/forms,
how to implement CGI applications or JDBC clients in Java and so on;
everything is done for them by jWWWData.
INSTALLATION
1. Requirements
jWWWData is a Java application using the JDBC SQL API. Before
downloading jWWWData you need first to download/purchase and install:
Case 1: ODBC Compliant Database
Java JDK 1.1.2 and above;
a ODBC compliant Data Base Management System; e.g. Microsoft's Access;
The Java JDK 1.1.2 already contains the JavaSoft JDBC-ODBC Bridge Driver
able interface to all ODBC compliant Data Base Management Systems.
Case 2: JDBC Compliant Database
Java JDK 1.1.2 and above;
a JDBC compliant Data Base Management System; e.g. NCSA's Decibel;
the related JDBC Driver.
In some cases (e.g. Decibel) the Data Base management Systems is
provided together with the JDBC Driver.
NOTE: the proper installation and configuration of these Data Base
Management Systems and their related JDBC/ODBC drivers is responsibility
of the end users and is not described in this document.
2. Decompress jWWWData Distribution Files
jWWWData distribution contains the following files:
htm_w32.zip - jWWWData HTML documentation
jwww_w32.zip - jWWWData class files
readme.txt - this file
Supposing that the files set has been downloaded in the directory
c:\tmp
these are the commands that have to be executed:
c: (the actual target disk must be put
here, so instead of c: we could
have d:, e: and so on)
cd \ (to go to the root)
pkunzip -d c:\tmp\htm_w32.zip (to decompress the HTML files)
pkunzip -d c:\tmp\jwww_w32.zip (to decompress jWWWData files)
When using a Windows version on "pkunzip" care must be taken so that the
original directories/files names are kept.
3. Setting the WWW Server
The World Wide Web Server has to be set up in such a way that the
jWWWData CGI can access all the relevant HTML files. Supposing that the
server is similar to the NCSA one, hereafter are listed the required
changes.
3.1 "access.conf"
In the file "access.conf" an entry similar to the following has to be
inserted. This change will make the SWWINGS directory visible to the WWW
Server. The actual syntax of the SWWINGS directory name depends on the
operating system. In this example the Windows syntax has been used.
3.2 "srm.conf"
In the file "srm.conf", and namely in the "alias" section, an entry
similar to the following has to be inserted. This change will allow the
hyper-links in the jWWWData HTML pages to work properly. The actual
syntax of the SWWINGS directory name depends on the operating system. In
this example the Windows syntax has been used.
Alias /swwings/ C:/SWWINGS/
4. Preparing for the first run
The environment variable CLASSPATH, which specifies where Java has to
look for the class files, has to be modified so that it contains the
location of the jWWWData class files.
Supposing that jWWWData files have been put under "C:\SWWINGS" the file
AUTOEXEC.BAT must contain an additional line like the following:
set CLASSPATH=.... (Your Previous CLASSPATH)
set CLASSPATH=C:\SWWING\CLASSES;%CLASSPATH%
In the same way the environment variable "PATH" must be updated so that
it contains the C:\SWWINGS\BIN (or ~/swwings/bin) directory.
It is now possible to create the first schema as described in the
Detailed Description.
When the schema is ready, users can ran the schema compiler
(swwings.jWWWData.jDComp), using the script (jdcomp.bat or jdcomp.sh)
provided in the C:\SWWINGS\BIN (or ~/swwings/bin) directory.
This script will generate the Java module jDSchema.java and a set of
scripts files (*.BAT and *.sh) and the starting HTML page.
The Java module has to be compiled with the JDK compiler, using the
following command:
javac jDSchema.java
The resulting class file jDSChema.class has to be put in the directory
specified with the clause #schema-path in the schema itself (see the
Detailed Description).
The generated script files can be put, for convenience, in the
C:\SWWINGS\BIN (or ~/swwings/bin) directory. The